"Worship is not so much what we do, but what we let God do in and for us." - Eugene Peterson.
It is incredibly difficult to divorce ourselves from the tendency to evaluate based on our personal preferences. Virtually every aspect of our culture is driven by this tendency. Perhaps it is the fact that, as consumers, we have so many choices (arguably more than any previous generation ever): an infinite variety of options for just about every conceivable product or service.
Whatever the reason, it's pretty obvious - we are master consumers and our consumption is shaped by our deeply felt personal preferences.
Even on Sunday mornings. I'd bet that if we're honest, most of us evaluate a worship service on any given Sunday based on how good the sermon was, or the music, or the coffee. Shoot, I know I do that. This is not to say that we shouldn't strive for excellence. We absolutely should. But...I can't help but think that when we are in evaluation mode during worship, our minds might not be focused on the right things.
When I read the above quote, I was instantly convicted.
Here's the question I'm asking myself - and I'm inviting you to ask yourself as well: What if I walked out of a worship service and allowed myself only one evaluation: "How effectively and completely did I open my heart to allow God to work in me?" What if I walked into a worship service with excitement, wondering what God would do in me that morning? I wonder how different our experience of worship might be if we were that focused on giving God full access to our hearts.
What do you think? Do you experience this tendency while sitting in a worship service? Is it possible to step out of our consumer mindset? How might we challenge each other toward that goal?
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